‘Improving Wellbeing through Urban Nature? Research into Practice’

Join us in London to hear how a three-year research project has revealed the different ways in which the natural environment can improve the mental health and wellbeing of urban residents. With keynote talks by David Lindo, the Urban Birder, and an expert panel including Hardip Begol from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Andy Bell, Centre for Mental Health, Clare Olver from The Mersey Forest, and health and sustainability expert Catherine Max, we will examine what a detailed investigation in one city tells us about how people connect with nature.

Findings and recommendations from Improving Wellbeing through Urban Nature (www.iwun.uk) will interest and inform people involved in mental health services; primary healthcare providers; community and civil society organisations; planners, urban designers and landscape professionals; greenspace and parks professionals; policymakers and local authority leaders; national policymakers and politicians.

Our findings, based on a study focused on Sheffield and involving a team of nearly 30 people from three universities, are particularly relevant to those working in poorer urban areas and to places and groups with disproportionately high levels of ill health. Our event will focus on why our research matters, who it matters for, and what should happen next.